Corinth Holders cruises to first round win over Laney
2 min read
Corinth Holders had no problems taking care of business in their first round state playoff volleyball matchup.
The Pirates knocked off Wilmington Laney in straight sets (25-20, 25-17, 26-24) Tuesday in Wendell. This comes after the home team completed their second straight run to the Northern 4-A conference title.
The opening set was hotly contested, but a 5-0 run from the Pirates (12-1) broke it open and they held off a late rally from the Buccaneers. Freshman outside hitter Emily Bobbitt sparked her team with a couple of early kills. She led the Pirates in that statistic going into the postseason.
“We came together and played our game,” she said afterwards. “We didn’t know much about them other than they were a good team, so we worked hard and responded well when they got up early.”
In the second set, the Buccaneers (10-5) played the Pirates even for a while, but once again the hosts took control. Corinth Holders took control going up by seven forcing a Laney timeout. Eventually, their lead would grow to double digits before the Buccaneers made a rally that was too late.
“We were clicking tonight,” senior setter Emily Sharrock said. “We all worked together to find the right reads against them. It’s what we’ve been doing all season and it’s thanks to great team chemistry.”
The final set was the most intense of the evening and a great effort from the road team saw them reach set point. Head coach Charles Riley called a timeout to settle his team down and it certainly paid off. Down 24-23, the Pirates would score the final three points to take the match and advance to the second round.
Because their second round opponent, Millbrook, knocked off a higher seed in the first round, Corinth Holders will host the Wildcats on Thursday night. A win would see them advance to the third round which takes place on Saturday.
